Wrapper for photo-sensitive sheet films



July 29, 1969 KEN su ETAL $458,033

WRAPPER FOR PHOTO-SENSITIVE SHEET FILMS Filed Feb. 25. 1968 INVENTORSKen/i Ar/yasu Ak/ra Tsuj/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,458,033WRAPPER FOR PHOTO-SENSITIVE SHEET FILMS Kenji Ariyasu and Akira Tsuji,Kanagawa, Japan, as signors to Fuji Shashin Film Kabushiki Kaisha,Minamiashigara-machi, Ashigara-Kamigun, Kanagawa, Japan Filed Feb. 23,1968, Ser. No. 707,770 Claims priority, application Japan, Feb. 23,1967, 42/ 15,224, 42/ 15,225 Int. Cl. B65d 85/46, 85/48 U.S. Cl. 20662 4Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wrapper for tightl encasingphoto-sensitive sheet film which comprises a heat shrinkable wrappingmember which includes a material which imparts opaqueness to saidheat-shrinkable film. The material which imparts opaqueness ispreferably carbon or a photochromic compound. Preferably, a preliminarywrapping member is applied to the sheet film in order to provide a shockabsorbent quality to the final unit. The preliminary wrapper may beprovided with light-shielding properties, in which case it is notnecessary that the heat-shrinkable film exhibiting light-shieldingproperties.

BACKGROUND OF THIS INVENTION Field of the invention The presentinvention relates to a wrapper for wrapping photo-sensitive sheet films.

Description of the prior art In the prior art (as illustrated in FIGURE1), photosensitive sheet films such as X-ray films (hereinafter calledsheet film) were wrapped one by one with an intermediate protectivepaper 2 for preventing scratches or static marks on the sheet film 1.The individual film units were accumulated and wrapped with a thickpaper 3 as shown in FIGURE 1. The sheet films were then put into amoisture-proof bag 4, which was further wrapped with an outer box 5 forboth light shielding and protection.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a wrapperfor photo-sensitive sheet films which is light, simple and inexpensiveto fabricate by eliminating the protective paper 2 and themoisture-proof bag 4 which were required in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Applicants have developed a wrapper forphoto-sensitive sheet films which is light, simple and inexpensive tofabricate. The wrapper formulated in accordance with the presentinvention enables sheet film to be wrapped with the elimination of theprotective paper inserts and moisture proofing bags which awere formerlyrequired.

This is accomplished by utilizing a heat-shrinkable film wrapping memberwhich includes a material capable of imparting light-shieldingproperties to the heatshrinkable film. If desired, a preliminarywrapping material may be applied to the sheet film prior to theapplication of the heat-shrinkable film. If a preliminary wrappingmember is utilized, the preliminar wrapping member may exhibitlight-shielding properties, thereby rendering it unnecessary to impartlight-shielding properties to the heat-shrinkable exterior wrappingmember. A wrapping member formulated in accordance with the presentinvention eliminates the danger of scratching or the formation of staticmarks on the film due to friction which 3,458,033 Patented July 29, 1969resulted between sheet films when utilizing packing methods described inthe prior art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a partly broken perspective viewshowing a conventional wrapper for photo-sensitive sheet films.

FIGURE 2 is a partly broken perspective view showing an embodiment of awrapper formed in accordance with the present invention being utilizedto wrap photo-sensitive sheet films.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a preliminary wrapping member used in asecond embodiment of a wrapper formed in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIGURE 4 is a partly broken perspective View of photo-sensitive sheetfilms wrapped with the embodiment of the wrapper shown in FIGURE 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGURE 2, whichshows an embodiment of a wrapper formed in accordance with the presentinvention, accumulated sheets of film 6 are tightly wrapped with anopaque film 7. Opaque film 7, which is utilized to tightly wrap thesheet films, is made of a plastic heatshrinkable film which includescarbon or a photochromic compound for the purpose of light shielding. Itwill be apparent to one skilled in the art that any form of carboncapable of being incorporated into the film of the present invention maybe useable. In addition, the photochromic art is highly developed, andthe literature and patent art shows many photochromic compounds, bothorganic and inorganic, which are compatible with the films of theinstant invention.

One skilled in the art will also appreciate that any compatible materialwhich imparts light-shielding properties to the films of the presentinvention may be utilized, carbon and photochromic compounds beingmerely representative of acceptable materials.

Sheet film 6 is initially loosely wrapped with heatshrinkable opaquefilm 7 and then heat sealed at the marginal portions thereof. The unitis then passed through a heating tunnel in order to shrink the heatshrinkable film 7, which is preferably moisture proof.

Since the first embodiment of the wrapper described above has bothlight-shielding and moisture proofing properties, when the films 6 aretightly wrapped with this wrapper, friction between the films is reducedand there is little chance of forming scratches thereon. Thus, theconventional protecting paper and moisture proof envelope required inthe prior art are eliminated, and the weight and cost of the wrapping isreduced. When the films are to be roughly handled during transport,extra protection may be needed, and it is preferred that the films beinitially wrapped with a shock absorbing material, and then wrapped witha heat-shrinkable outer Wrappmg.

By wrapping the sheet films with a material and then with a heatshrinkable film 20-50;; thick which has 5-20% of carbon therein, awrapping having approximately the same light-shielding, moistureproofing, and shock resistance as a thick conventional wrapping isproduced.

FIGURE 3 shows another embodiment of a wrapper produced in accordancewith the present invention. A preliminary wrapping member 8 formed ofpaper, plastic and the like, comprises a bottom portion 40, ofsubstantially the same shape and size as that of said sheet films 1, acover portion 41, having substantially the same size and shape as saidbottom portion 40, side wall portions 43 connected to one of theportions 40 or 41, a back wall portion 42 connecting said bottom portion40 and said cover portion 41, and a front wall portion 44, connected tosaid shock absorbing cover portion 41, which is adjacent thereto.Preliminary wrapping member 8 will provide light-shielding and shockabsorbence when utilized to wrap the accumulated sheet films. A Wrapperproduced in accordance with the second embodiment of the presentinvention thus comprises a preliminary wrapping member 8 and aheat-shrinkable wrapping film 9, which need not be light-shielding.Wrapping tightly film 9 is utilized to wrap films 1 which have beenpreliminarily wrapped with the preliminary wrapping member 8.

As shown in FIGURE 4, sheet films 1, which have been wrapped with awrapper produced in accordance with the present invention, are tightlywrapped with heatshrinkable wrapping film 9 on said preliminary Wrappingmember 8 so that there is no danger of scratches or static marks beingmade on the films due to friction between the sheet films 1. Thus, theconventional intermediate protecting papers may be totally eliminated,and since the heat shrinkable wrapping film 9 is moisture proof, theconventional moisture proof bag is also eliminated.

It will be obvious that the preliminary wrapping member 8 need not havelight-shielding properties if the shrinkable Wrapping film 9 haslight-shielding properties, however, it is necessary that at least onehave light-shielding properties.

The side wall portion 43 of the preliminary wrapping member 8 may beeliminated, if desired, since experimentation has indicated that theside wall portion 43 is not always necessary to provide insulation andshock absorbance.

Heat-shrinkable wrapping film 9 may be any heatshrinkable film,representative of which are vinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene,vinylidene chloride and the like.

Thus, the wrapper described in the second embodiment of the presentinvention enables conventional intermediate protective papers and themoisture proof bag which were formerly required in wrappingphoto-sensitive sheet films to be eliminated. In addition, the wrappingprocess is greatly simplified and the wrapped sheet films are easilyhandled.

Moreover, since the intermediate protecting paper is eliminated, thequality of the film is enhanced since intermediate paper formerlyutilized quite often had some organic compounds present which couldchemically affect the film.

It will be understood by one skilled in the art that lightshielding willgenerally mean opaque, but the exact extent of light-shielding may varywith the film encased. Generally, it will be necessary to excludesubstantially all light.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. A photographic film package which comprises at least one sheet ofphoto-sensitive film, and a heat-shrinkable film wrapping member whichexhibits light-shielding properties for tightly encompassing saidphoto-sensitive sheet film, said heat-shrinkable film wrapping memberhaving been shrunk in situ about said photo-sensitive sheet film, beingfrom about 20 to microns in thickness, and containing from 5 to 20% byweight of carbon.

2. A photographic film package as in claim 1 which also includes apreliminary wrapping member between said sheet of photo-sensitive filmand said heat-shrinkable film wrapping member.

3. A photographic film package as in claim 1 wherein saidheat-shrinkable film wrapping member comprises at least one memberselected from the group consisting of vinyl chloride, polyethylene,polypropylene and vinylidene chloride.

4. A wrapper as in claim 2 wherein said preliminary Wrapping membercomprises a bottom having first and second parallel edges, a wallportion having first and second edges, said first edge of the wallportion connected to said first edge of the bottom, a cover connected tothe second edge of said wall portion and a front connected to said coverwhereby said front is capable of contracting said second edge of thebottom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,668,403 2/1954 Rumsey 2293,348,042 10/1967 Umberg et al. 206-62 JAMES B. MARBERT, PrimaryExaminer

